Ballast expulsion for deep diving submersibles

ABSTRACT

An improved ballast expulsion system for deep diving submersibles which employs a high-pressure auxiliary tank within the conventional ballast tanks to effect positive expulsion of the water ballast and additional buoyancy. A piston is mounted in each auxiliary ballast tank and moves towards a discharge end to expel ballast therefrom.

United States Patent Inventor Joseph J. Lovlngham v Madison, NJ.

Appl. No. 14,129

Filed Feb. 25, 1970 Patented Dec. 21, 1971 Assignee Thiokol Chemical Corporation Bristol, Pa.

BALLAST EXPULSION FOR DEEP DIVING SUBMERSIBLES 4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

US. Cl 114/16 E Int. Cl 863g 8/00 FieldotSearch l14/16E,

[56] Relierences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 969,!28 8/l9l0 Atteridge ll4/16E 1,488,067 3/1924 Schneider 1 14/16 E Primary Examiner-Trygve M. Blix Attorney-Thomas W. Brennan ABSTRACT: An improved ballast expulsion system for deep diving submersibles which employs a high-pressure auxiliary tank within the conventional ballast tanks to effect positive expulsion of the water ballast and additional buoyancy. A piston is mounted in each auxiliary ballast tank and moves towards a discharge end to expel ballast therefrom.

Patented Dec. 14, 1971 3,626,881

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Jasep/r J L owing/7am INVlz'N'I'OR.

Patented Dec.- 14, 1971 3,626,881

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Joseph J L a w'ng/ram IN VIiN'I'OR.

BALLAST EXPULSION FOR DEEP DIVING SUBMERSIBLES This invention relates generally to deballasting methods and apparatus therefore and more particularly to a positive ballast expulsion method and apparatus for deep diving submersibles.

Conventional submersibles employ compressed air for the expulsion of sea water from their ballast tanks to achieve positive buoyancy. This requires the installation of heavy compressor equipment at a penalty of weight. This weight penalty becomes of increasing significance as the depth of submersion increases since greater compressor capacity, storage vessels, piping, etc. are necessary to provide "blowing air.

At extreme depths, e.g., from 5,000 feet on down to the known deepest location (c.a. 36,000 feet), a ballast expulsion system utilizing a compressible gas is ordinarily not practical because the heat transfer from the gas to its surroundings (even through it is minimized) causes a collapse of the compressible gas bubble. This pen-nits the development of differential collapsing pressures in excess of the design rating of the ballast tank wall which may be on the order of -30 psi. The prevention of this bubble collapse at these extreme depths requires either a continuous bleed or repetitive charges of makeup gas. The requirements become excessive for conventionally designed e.g., buoyancy to displacement) submersibles, through the limitation of gas capacity.

Accordingly, the main objects of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for circumventing the "bubble collapse" problem associated with the expulsion of water from a ballast tank resulting from the employment of a compressible gas.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary ballast tank capable of withstanding high internal and external pressures which is mounted within the conventional, thin-walled ballast tank and which is provided with positive ballast expulsion means.

Another important object of the present invention is to provide an auxiliary ballast tank with positive expulsion means for submersibles in which the activating forces to effect positive expulsion also act as auxiliary ballast expulsion means.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawings, one embodiment of the invention is shown. In this showing:

F IG. 1 is a perspective view of a submersible;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, transverse vertical schematic view thereof to an enlarged scale taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary, longitudinal, vertical schematic view thereof; and

FIG. 4 is a schematic view to a reduced scale of the auxiliary ballast tank.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown a submersible 10 which is provided with longitudinally extending ballast and trim tanks 12 on each side of the pressure hull 11.

As is well known, when it is desired to decrease the buoyancy of the submersible to effect submergence thereof, sea water is drawn into the ballast tanks by suitable pumping equipment (not shown) through suitable inlet and expulsion ports 14 (in Ht]. 3). When it is desired to increase the buoyancy or surface, the sea water is expelled from the ballast tanks and usually by compressed air as mentioned with its attendant problems.

Each of the ballast tanks 12 has fixedly mounted therein a cylindrical, longitudinally extending, auxiliary high-pressure tank 16 capable of withstanding high internal and external pressures having a breech end 18 including a check valve 19, and a water ballast discharge end 20 having an outlet check valve 22. As shown in FIG. 3, each auxiliary ballast tank is provided with a piston 23 having suitable seals and normally positioned at the breech end with water ballast filling the auxiliary tank to the right thereof.

As shown in FIG. 2, a breech 24 mounted within the pressure hull 11 is connected to and has communication with the breech end 18 of the auxiliary tank 12. Breech 24 is provided with one or more (one shown) solid propellant charges 25 each of which generates adequate pressure when combustion thereof takes place, to enable the combustion products to drive pistons 23 to the right to effect a positive expulsion of the ballast water in auxiliary tanks 16 into ballast tanks 12. This in turn, effects an overboard expulsion from the ballast tanks of a similar volume of water so that the auxiliary tanks thus provide positive buoyant forces.

Check valve 19 prevents the influx of water and prevents the collapse of the bubble produced in auxiliary pressure tank 16. Thus, even if the bubble were to be cooled to an excess by heat transfer, the buoyancy afforded by the auxiliary tanks would not be changed.

As indicated in FIG. 4, as submersible l0 rises, gas from the auxiliary tank 16 can be bled through a regulator 26 into the ballast tank 12 to effect additional expulsion of the ballast water therein by virtue of the expansion of the combustion gases. Piston 23 is recycled or moved back to breech end 18 of auxiliary tank 16 by opening a bypass valve 28 which admits sea water to the downstream side of the piston.

It will be understood that the activating force on the upstream side of piston 23 may be compressed air, solid grain or liquid propellant, hybrid, or monopropellant combustion products.

What is claimed is:

l. A ballast expulsion system for submersibles having waterballast tanks on each side of said submersible pressure hull comprising, in combination, an auxiliary ballast tank mounted on said hull within each of said ballast tanks and including a breech end, a piston mounted in each of said auxiliary tanks adjacent said breech end for movement toward said discharge end to expel ballast therefrom into said ballast tanks and from said submersible; hot gas pressure means communicating with said breech for moving said piston; and, conduit means for bleeding part of said gas pressure means directly into said ballast tanks to supplement the expulsion of ballast therefrom.

2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the hot gas pressure means comprises the combustion gases of a propellant.

3. The combination recited in claim I; and a pressure regulator positioned in said conduit means to ensure water expulsion movement of said pistons before the bleeding of said gases.

4. The combination recited in claim I; and a bypass valve communicating with said auxiliary tank and admitting water against the downstream side of said piston to return it to the breech end of said cylinder.

i i i i i UNITED STATES PATENT oEETcE ERTIFEATE 0F CGRREC'HQN Patent No- 3,626,88l Dated December 14, 197].

Inventor(s) Joseph J. Lovingham It is certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column -2, line 43, after "breach end", insert and a discharge end line 60, "cylinder" should read auxiliary tank Signed and sealed this 17th day ofOctober 1972.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETCHER,JR. ROBERT GOT'I'SCHALK Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents FORM PC4050 uscoMM-oc 60376-P69 .Sr GOVERNMENTPRINYING OFFICE: 1959 0-356-334, 

1. A ballast expulsion system for submersibles having waterballast tanks on each side of said submersible pressure hull comprising, in combination, an auxiliary ballast tank mounted on said hull within each of said ballast tanks and including a breech end, a piston mounted in each of said auxiliary tanks adjacent said breech end for movement toward said discharge end to expel ballast therefrom into said ballast tanks and from said submersible; hot gas pressure means communicating with said breech for moving said piston; and, conduit means for bleeding part of said gas pressure means directly into said ballast tanks to supplement the expulsion of ballast therefrom.
 2. The combination recited in claim 1 wherein the hot gas pressure means comprises the combustion gases of a propellant.
 3. The combination recited in claim 1; and a pressure regulator positioned in said conduit means to ensure water expulsion movement of said pistons before the bleeding of said gases.
 4. The combination recited in claim 1; and a bypass valve communicating with said auxiliary tank and admitting water against the downstream side of said piston to return it to the breech end of said cylinder. 